Mudjacking

As patios, walkways, driveways, and concrete steps sink, they can crack and create uneven surfaces. Sinking concrete is unsightly, and it can create a tripping hazard.

Traditionally, this problem is often repaired by a process called mudjacking.

Mudjacking: a repair technique for lifting concrete slabs that have settled over time with a mortar-based mix.

Mudjacking involves pumping a mortar-based mixture of “mud” or “slurry” underneath a settling slab. This injected material is a mixture of water, soil, sand and Portland cement that cures to become a solid, stable fill.

As the mixture is pumped underneath the concrete slab, it fills all empty spaces and creates pressure on the slab that lifts the surface upwards. Once injected, the slurry will then harden into a solid fill that’s more stable than the soil, yet lighter than concrete.

BQ Basements & Concrete offers a fast, effective, and less invasive approach to concrete lifting with PolyRenewal™. The PolyRenewal™ system involves injecting an expanding polymer foam under the concrete for a durable, long-lasting solution.

Mudjacking is effective for heavier concrete structures when used in conjunction with slab piers. It should not be considered as a standalone solution to lifting a footing or floor slab that has settled in your home.

In most cases, mudjacking alone will not be able to lift both a slab and the heavy partition walls that sit on top of it. In cases where mudjacking isn’t effective, we often recommend installing slab piers instead.

If mudjacking does lift the concrete slab, it may be difficult to control where mudjacking lifts the walls, causing them to lift unevenly.

More importantly, this kind of concrete repair solution is temporary. Even with the voids filled, the soil below is likely to continue settling over time. Ultimately, you’d have to call your contractor to your home over and over again to repeat the mudjacking process — or call someone who can use a different solution that can fix it once and for all!